A Stranger in His Own Home
by IvyandLime
Summary: For four years, Hermione has been left to raise her son alone. So where was Ron when she needed him the most? Originally published under the penname QueenWeasley on Checkmated. AU written pre-DH
1. Chapter One: The Invitation

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter One - The Invitation**

"Mummy, look at this!"

The excited four year old tottered up to Hermione, holding a piece of parchment preciously in his hands. Hermione carefully took the parchment from her son and placed it on the table in front of her, then lifted him onto her lap. Looking over the drawing on the parchment, she smiled.

"That's beautiful, Regan. Tell me about it."

The young boy smiled proudly at his mother. Pointing to one of the figures on the parchment, he said, "That's Aunt Ginny watching Uncle Harry fly on his broom, that's Uncle Fred and Uncle George in their shop, that's Uncle Charlie with one of his dragons, and that's Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur playing with Laura,"

"And who's this in the middle?" Hermione asked, pointing to the figures in the centre of the picture.

"That's you, me, and Daddy," replied Regan.

Hermione looked from her son, to the drawing, and back to her son again. She hugged him tight and kissed the top of his auburn head. Regan was definitely his father's son. He was extremely intelligent like Hermione; that was to be expected. At the age of four he was speaking like a seven year old. But his appearance was that of a true Weasley. From the shock of red hair to the mass of freckles on his nose, there was no doubt that he was Ron's son.

"Mummy, when will I get to see daddy for real?"

As Hermione stared down into the big, bright blue eyes of her son, tears began to form in her own pools of brown.

Ron. He was a topic of conversation just on his own.

The picture Regan had drawn of his father was based on the photographs positioned around the house. They were all the young boy had to go on, as he had never seen his father in person. And nobody knew why.

Hermione always hated it when her son brought up that topic, but being so young, he did not understand why his cousin Laura got to see her daddy and he did not get to see his. So Hermione always had to give an answer; even though that was the unanswered question that constantly swam around her mind.

Drawing in a deep breath, she said, "I don't know, Regan. I don't know where Daddy is, or what he is doing." _Or if he's even alive,_ she thought to herself.

"I wish he'd tell you," Regan said impatiently, "Then I could see him."

"I wish he would too," Hermione whispered, on the verge of tears. She thought about Ron every second of every day; where he might be, what he might be doing … She kept telling herself that he was at work and that he would be home soon. However, after four years, it became hard to keep believing that. She had had to build a life for Regan and herself without Ron, working full days during the week to earn enough money to keep them fed and clothed. Only rarely did she have money to spare on a treat for her son. When she did, she made sure it was a good one. Recently she had come home with a brand new toy broomstick, and Regan had been flying it around the backyard every chance he got. Harry, Fred, George, Charlie and Bill had even started teaching him how to play Quidditch. The smile on her son's face had been worth the tight budget for the next month. It had also brought a tear to her eye, as teaching Regan Quidditch would have been something Ron would have wanted to do. Hermione had wasted no time in wiping away the tear, though. Ron was not there. He could not teach Regan Quidditch, and she needed to get over it. Ron had missed so many things and would miss a heap more. In reality, it seemed as though Ron would never return. Reluctantly, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys had accepted this and moved on. Ron would always stay in their hearts and in their minds, but his memory was not as painful anymore. Their family had got through it together, making them stronger as a group and as individuals.

Regan picked up his drawing and looked at it before turning to his mother.

"I'm going to put this one with the other drawings I did for Daddy. Then I'm going to do a hundred more so that he has lots to look at when I see him. Will he like them, Mummy?"

Hermione gave him another kiss and a squeeze, and smiled down at him.

"I'm sure he'll love them," she replied, her heart aching at the truth that Ron would never see them. Regan climbed down off Hermione's lap and a huge grin spread across his face.

"Then Daddy can draw pictures with me like you do! And he can play Kiditch with me and Uncle Harry and Uncle Fred and Uncle George and Uncle Bill and Uncle Charlie! Does daddy like Kiditch?" Regan quizzed.

Hermione nodded. "It's his favourite thing."

Regan beamed.

"I have to practise a lot so I can be really good when I see him."

Hermione almost broke down on the spot.

"Well, how about we have some lunch, and then go visit Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. I'm sure Uncle Harry will help you practise," she suggested, blinking back her tears. Regan jumped up and down on the spot excitedly, causing Hermione to smile. "Go tidy up your crayons and wash your hands for lunch."

"Okay, Mummy!" Regan said, hugging his mother before running into the living room.

Once Regan was gone, Hermione took a moment to sort herself out. She cursed herself for almost losing it in front of Regan. She needed to be strong for him, be positive. She knew it was wrong to keep his hopes up like that, but knowing the truth would devastate him. And she could not do that to him. He was so young and innocent.

'_But so are you,'_ a voice in her mind said.

'_It's not the same,' _another voice replied, '_you're an adult, he's a child.'_

'_You're only an adult because you have to be. When you're around your family and Regan you have to be an adult. But when you're alone ...' _spoke the first voice, '_when you're alone, you're just a child.'_

'_You're protecting Regan from being hurt, but is it only for him? Are you sure you're not protecting yourself too? You haven't really accepted the fact that he's not coming back. It's been over four years, Hermione. You need to move on.'_

"Stop it! Just stop! Please," Hermione let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I know he's not coming back, but I can't do that to Regan. Not yet."

The voices didn't reply. Hermione took a few more deep breaths before rising from her chair at the table and walking into the kitchen.

CRACK!

Ginny appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, just as Hermione had started preparing lunch for herself and Regan. Placing her knife down on the cutting board, Hermione let the arms of her sister-in-law envelop her in a hug.

"Ginny! How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Okay. But I'm getting better," replied Hermione.

Ginny smiled. "That's good to hear. And Regan?"

"Full of energy, as always. Definitely takes after Ron, that boy. So what brings you here?"

Ginny leaned back against the kitchen bench as Hermione returned to her preparations.

"Actually, I came to see if you wanted to come to dinner at Godric's Hollow tonight. The rest of the family are going to be there."

"That sounds lovely. Regan and I were thinking of paying you a visit later on," said Hermione. At that moment, Regan came skipping into the kitchen.

"Aunt Ginny!" he cried, running over to his aunt and throwing himself around her. Ginny laughed and lifted him into a hug.

"Hello, Regan! You seem very excited today."

"Mummy said we could go to your house after lunch and Uncle Harry could help me practice Kiditch so I'm really good when I see Daddy!" the young boy told Ginny happily.

"That sounds great, Regan!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling at her nephew. "Hey, I'll tell you what - If you go find your broom and pack your bag, you can stay over my house tonight. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" Regan cried, hugging Ginny tightly.

"Okay then, off you go," laughed Ginny, placing Regan down. He tore out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom, laughing as though all of his dreams had come true.

Ginny turned to Hermione and looked at her sternly.

"I know, Ginny, don't start with me…"

"Hermione, you can't keep doing this to him or yourself! Telling Regan his father is going to come home? You and I both know that isn't going to happen! Ron is gone, Hermione. He isn't going to come back. Regan will find out the truth somehow, and it will hurt him more than you telling him now will. You can't keep lying to him!"

"I know!" Hermione cried, slamming her knife down on the bench. "I know. I just … I can't work up the courage to tell him. His face brightens up so much when he talks about Ron, Ginny. You saw him just now. He wants to show Ron how good he is at Quidditch. He has a box full of drawings saved away for when Ron comes home. He only has photos, Ginny! Photos! Of his _father_, for goodness sake! He deserves more than that! He deserves to see him in person, be hugged by him, play Quidditch with him, be taught how to play chess by him!" Tears were now rolling down Hermione's face. "He deserves to have his father in his life."

"We all deserve to have Ron in our lives, but we can't! He's gone, Hermione, and there's nothing we can do."

"You don't know how hard it is! You try looking into his smiling face and telling him he'll never see his father. It will shatter him, Ginny. I can't do it. Not now."

Ginny wrapped her arms around Hermione and hugged her tight.

"You have to tell him before it's too late. You owe it to him."

"I know. I just – not yet."

Ginny didn't say anything else on the matter; she just frowned deeply.

"Well, I have some errands to do before I go home, and Harry said we'd go into London this afternoon to get some things for dinner. So I'll see you tonight?"

Hermione nodded in reply.

"All right. Tell Regan I said goodbye."

Ginny began to walk away when Hermione stopped her.

"Ginny-"

The red-head turned around. "Yes?"

"I will tell him."

"I know you will."

The two sisters exchanged a small smile before Ginny disapparated. Hermione returned to her and Regan's lunch, slicing the sandwiches and placing them on two separate plates. Walking out to the table, she found Regan already there, sitting in his seat. What she didn't expect to find was someone sitting there with him.

* * *

_**A/N:**  
Okay, so this is a story I started writing when I was...17? So it was a while ago. And back then, I thought my chapters were long. LOL. Seriously, 1500 words was a lot for 17 year old me! _

_Anyway, this story has been on hiatus for almost 4 years, due to travel and work and EXTREME writer's block. But I am hoping to get back into my PotterFic frame of mind and finish this by year's end. Fingers crossed. Haha._

_Let me know what you think! It's been a long time since I've had anyone read it. =p  
_


	2. Chapter Two: The Loss of the Strong

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter Two - The Loss of the Strong**

"Mummy, look! Uncle Bill's here!" Regan cried happily.

Hermione nearly dropped the lunch plates in surprise.

"Bill!" You almost gave me a heart attack. When did you come in?" she asked breathlessly, placing one of the plates down in front of Regan as she tried to regain her composure. Even though Voldemort had been defeated years ago, a part of Hermione's mind still expected a dark wizard to be lurking around every corner.

Bill chuckled as his young nephew eagerly picked up his sandwich and began to eat, oblivious to everything around him. _Just like Ron_, Bill thought.

"Sorry, I did knock but you mustn't have heard me," Bill said, turning his attention to his sister-in-law. "Regan came tearing into the hall and practically wrenched the door off it's hinges when he saw that it was me. Apparently I'm sleeping over Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's house with him tonight."

"Are you coming for dinner? Ginny said everyone was invited," Hermione said with a smile, watching Bill's amusement over her son's eating habits.

"Yes, but I won't stay for too long. Charlie and I have to have that passageway in Gringotts finished by Monday, and there's still a few charms that I'm having a bit of trouble with. There's something I've thought of that I want to try out, so Charlie and I are heading over there after dinner."

Hermione nodded in understanding and sat her plate down on the table.

"Did you want something to eat?" she asked Bill, "I can make you a sandwich if you like."

Bill glanced back over at Regan and nodded his head.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually. I haven't eaten since early this morning, and from the looks of things, your sandwiches must be quite something."

Hermione laughed, "You do remember what Ron was like, don't you? If it was edible, he'd eat it. Regan is exactly the same …"

"Yes, but if Ron didn't like it, he made sure everyone knew."

"That didn't stop your mother giving him corned beef sandwiches," Hermione laughed.

"That is true," Bill chuckled in agreement.

"Mummy, I'm thirsty," Regan said, staring up at Hermione with his face covered in tomato seeds and breadcrumbs.

Smiling down at her son, Hermione replied, "Well, you stay here and finish your lunch and Uncle Bill will get you some pumpkin juice while I make him a sandwich, okay?"

The small boy nodded and returned to his half-eaten sandwich.

Bill rose from his chair and followed Hermione into the kitchen. He conjured a jug of pumpkin juice, casting a chilling charm on it while Hermione prepared another sandwich.

"So what is the problem with the passageway?" Hermione asked. "Why aren't the charms working properly?"

"That damn dragon of Charlie's is affecting them somehow. I'm not sure what it's doing, but I put the charms up and a few hours later they're down again. I think there's something in the dragon's aura that keeps breaking through them. I want Charlie to take the thing away so I can test the charms properly and make sure they're working without getting myself burnt to a crisp, but the goblins won't hear of it. Apparently taking the dragon away for a few hours will cause a massive break-in," he snorted. "The only way that will happen is if people are told the dragon won't be there. And it's not like the passageway would be unprotected. There's always fifty bloody goblins at every entrance."

"They're only doing their job, Bill," Hermione replied, "And besides, there are other ways of testing the charms without getting burnt. Haven't Charlie and his team been stunning the dragon while you've been working around it?"

"Yes, but it managed to wake itself up this morning and decided that I would be better served flat. It would have succeeded too, if I hadn't moved to the next section just before it slammed its foot down."

Hermione gasped. "Oh Bill! That's awful! Are you okay?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he jested.

"Oh, don't laugh! You could have been hurt!"

"Now do see why I want the dragon moved?"

A look of concentration took residence on Hermione's features as she handed Bill his plate and summoned three drinking glasses from the cupboard. The pair walked back into the dining room and sat down in their respective chairs. Bill filled the three glasses with pumpkin juice and handed one to Regan, who drank his so fast that Hermione wondered if she had only imagined his glass being full.

The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their lunch, until Hermione spoke again.

"There are other ways of knocking out a dragon, aren't there? Other than stunning?"

Bill swallowed his mouthful before replying, Yes, but they take more wizards to perform. Stunning is the method that takes the least number of wizards to perform it properly and effectively. The ministry can't afford to hire any more wizards just for this assignment."

"Well, do you know how the dragon broke the spell?"

Bill shook his head. "It's got everyone stumped. But I think it's something to do with its aura, like I said before. There's just something about this dragon that affects the magic in that passageway."

"Would you like me to come with you tonight? Maybe I could help you figure it out," Hermione suggested. Bill shook his head vehemently.

"You spend enough time at work as it is, Hermione. You don't need any extra problems to think about."

"But I could-"

"No," Bill said firmly. "As much as Mum loves minding Regan, she would agree that you need to spend more time with him. I'm not saying you're a bad mother," he said quickly upon seeing Hermione open her mouth to object, "but Regan needs you. Do you think that it matters to him if you don't get that little extra bit in your paycheck for working overtime? He just wants to spend time with you. I remember when I was a kid; it didn't matter that Charlie and I didn't have all the toys that other kids did, because we made our own fun, playing outside, making up games … the only thing we looked forward to, that we were most excited about, was seeing our Dad at the end of the day. We would wait by the front gate for him to come home and then follow him inside, listening to his stories about work."

Bill paused to look at Regan.

"He's happy enough just to be sitting here eating lunch with you. He doesn't mind that you're not giving him attention; your presence is enough to keep him satisfied. You're his mother, Hermione. There's no one that he will ever love more than he does you."

Hermione gazed down at her son, blinking back tears. She reached out and ran her fingers gently through his soft auburn hair. At her touch, Regan looked up and grinned broadly at her, causing her to laugh.

At that moment, Hermione wanted nothing more than to scoop her small son into her arms and never let him go. He was the most adorable, cheeky, and perfect little boy she had ever seen; and he was all hers. Sometimes she still could not believe that this little auburn-haired angel was of her creation. Their creation. She and Ron had made this little ball of life together, and it showed; with every passing moment Regan became more and more like his father. So much so that it tore Hermione up inside a little more every day.

Overwhelmed by Bill's words and her own thoughts, Hermione felt on the verge of tears again for the second time that day. She held them back as she gathered the empty lunch plates, not looking at Bill or her son as she did so because she knew that once she did, there would be no holding back the dam of emotions that was threatening to spill.

"Would you like a hand, Hermione?" Bill asked, watching his sister-in-law hurriedly clear the table.

"No, I'm fine thank you," she replied, "I'll just quickly wash these and then I'll be right out."

"I'll go get Regan cleaned up while you do that, shall I?"

Hermione looked at Bill with glassy eyes and nodded before turning on her heel and rushing into the kitchen.

Once she had placed the plates safely on the kitchen bench, Hermione felt her knees give way. Sinking to the floor, she reluctantly allowed herself to lose control. She was crying so hard that she neither saw nor heard her husband's brother come running into the room.

The instant he heard Hermione's cry of anguish and despair, Bill raced into the kitchen and wrapped his arms tight around her. As Hermione sank into him, he felt all of her strength leave her as her depression took over.

"I can't do this anymore, Bill. I just can't," she sobbed. "I can't be a good mother to Regan, I can't handle raising him alone … I can't go to work all day, I can't keep us fed, I can't keep us alive … I just can't live anymore. I can't come home to an empty house … I can't come home to a life without him … I just can't … not without Ron …"

Bill did not know what to say; Hermione was always the strong one. He had never even heard of her losing herself like this before. Not knowing what else to do, he gently stroked Hermione's hair and rocked her soothingly in his arms, keeping quiet and allowing her to let all her emotions out.

"I can't keep living like this … I don't want to be here anymore, Bill. He's dead. He's never coming back. He's never going to see his son, he's never going to … Regan's never going to see his father. Ron is dead! He's dead …" Hermione trailed off as another wave of tears spilled over her cheeks.

Then a small voice sounded from the door.

"Mummy?"

Bill turned his head to look at Regan. "Regan, you go finish washing yourself, okay?" he said quietly, "Mummy and I will be up soon."

Regan ignored his uncle's words and timidly walked closer to his mother.

"Mummy? Why are you crying?"

"Bill, take him away," Hermione pleaded, "I don't want him to see me like this."

"Regan, Mummy is okay. Why don't you do as I just asked and go back upstairs?" Bill told his nephew. Again, Regan ignored him and kept walking closer.

"Mummy-"

"Regan, just go upstairs!" Hermione cried, pulling away from Bill slightly to look at her son. The small boy froze in his tracks and stared at his mother.

"I SAID GO, REGAN!" shouted Hermione angrily.

Regan jumped in shock and fled from the room, his cries echoing down the hall.

Hermione released a loud sob as the shock of what she had just done hit her; she had shouted at her son. She had lost control and taken her self-loathing out on Regan, when all he had done was love her.

"Oh, Bill," she sobbed, "What has happened to me?"

It was then that Bill realised that the family member he considered to be the strongest of them all was really not that at all.


	3. Chapter Three: A Time for Distraction

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter Three - A Time for Distraction  
**

After Hermione had somewhat collected herself, Bill went upstairs to Regan's bedroom and found the young boy cuddling his favourite teddy bear; one that Ron had bought for his son before his disappearance. Of course, Ron hadn't known that he and Hermione were having a son, but at that time he had wanted something for Hermione to keep close by when he went away on Auror missions; something that would give her some kind of comfort and also let her know that he was thinking of her and the baby while he was gone.

Bill sat down beside Regan on the bed and wrapped an arm around his small shoulders. Regan sniffled and slowly looked up from where he had buried his face in the top of the bear's head.

"Why is Mummy angry at me?" he asked, his big blue eyes full of sadness and confusion. "Did I do something bad? I didn't mean to! I don't want Mummy to be angry at me."

Placing a gentle kiss on the small boy's head, Bill replied, "You didn't do anything wrong, Regan. Mummy didn't mean to yell at you, she is just a little sad at the moment."

"Why? Did Daddy do something?"

"What makes you think that?" Bill asked, not liking where the conversation was heading.

"She said that I was never going to see Daddy. Why did Daddy make Mummy cry?"

Bill blanched. What was he supposed to say? He knew that Hermione had not told Regan the full truth about his father's absence, and the Weasleys, as family, had respected her reasons for that. However, Regan was now getting to the age where they could not hide things as well from him. Which left Bill in a very uncomfortable position.

"Well … Mummy just misses your Daddy very much."

"If he came home, would it make her happy?"

"I think it would, Regan. It would make all of us happy. And do you know what would also make some of us happy?" Bill asked, in attempt to change the subject.

"What?"

"If you came over to my house this afternoon to play with Laura."

Regan grinned and jumped up and down excitedly. "Can we play Kiditch too?" he asked, his eyes wide with joy and the previous topic of conversation temporarily forgotten, much to the relief of Bill.

"We'll see," laughed Bill in reply. "But you have to pack your bag for tonight first. Unless you don't want to stay over Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's house …"

At this comment, Regan tossed his teddy bear onto the bed and jumped to his feet. He ran over to his cupboard and began to pull out the drawers, before suddenly stopping and turning around to face his uncle.

"Uncle Bill, can you help me pack my bag?"

Bill folded his arms across his chest and looked back at his nephew with raised eyebrows.

"And what do you say?"

"Please?"

"That's more like it," Bill smiled before rising to his feet and walking over to help the young boy pack for his overnight stay.

Downstairs, meanwhile, Hermione was sitting in her favourite reading chair by the sunroom window, a steaming mug of herbal tea clasped in her hands. She had her eyes closed, breathing in the calming scent of the tea as she tried to clear her mind and force herself to relax.

She couldn't believe that she had lost her temper at Regan. It was something she had vowed that she would never do. She had read about parents who took their anger out on their innocent children, and she had told herself that she would never become one of those parents. Yet here she was, a mother of only four years, and already she had gone back on her promise. She didn't even know where the outburst had come from. It had been bad enough that she had lost her self-control in front of Bill, but to lose her anger at her innocent little boy in front of Bill …

_Now he's going to go tell everyone what an awful mother I am and Molly will hate me, _she thought to herself. _She won't trust me to look after Regan and they'll take him away…_

A small tear began to wind its way down Hermione's cheek, only to be brushed away impatiently.

"Stop being so stupid," she whispered to herself. "Everyone yells at their children at some stage. Molly used to yell at Ron and the others all the time. Regan just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll just have to apologise to him and do something really special to make it up to him …"

That thought cheered Hermione up immensely. When she thought back on it, Molly Weasley had yelled at her children quite a bit over the years since she had first met them. Ron, Fred and George had caused Molly to raise her voice on many more occasions than they had really needed to. Hermione suspected, however, that Fred and George had done it on purpose most of the time, just to see how angry they could make their mother before they got too severely punished for it.

Hermione was lost in thoughts of special surprises for her son when Regan came bounding down the stairs, followed closely by Bill. She looked at the two red-heads over the rim of her mug and a small smile played on her lips as Regan ran over to her.

"Mummy, Uncle Bill said I could come to his house and play with Laura!"

Placing her mug of tea down on the coffee table in front of her, Hermione opened her arms to her son and pulled him into a hug. She lightly kissed the top of his auburn head and gave him a small squeeze.

"That sounds like fun," she said.

"And Uncle Bill said that maybe we could play Kiditch too!"

Hermione laughed, "Well just make sure you're wearing your gloves and protection gear if you do, okay? Did you pack them with your overnight things?"

"We packed all of that, didn't we Regan?" Bill replied.

The young boy pulled away from his mother slightly and nodded happily. "But I didn't pack my toothbrush," he added, "Because I have one at Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's house."

Hermione smiled; her parents would be happy to see that she had raised their grandson to look after his teeth.

"That's okay, Regan. Now you go and have fun with Laura, and I'll see you tonight for dinner, all right?"

Regan nodded excitedly and threw his arms around his mother's neck.

"I love you, Mummy."

"I love you too, Regan," Hermione whispered in reply, hugging him tight.

Bill felt himself choke up a little at the sight before him. It was moments like these that he wanted nothing more in the world than for Ron to be right where he belonged; with Hermione and Regan. It made his heart ache to watch them living their lives without him. What pained him even more was that he could do nothing to change it.

Hermione slowly pulled away from Regan and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Be good for Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur," she said.

"I will!" Regan replied happily, smiling as he ran over to Bill and took his hand.

Bill smiled warmly at Hermione and said, "We'll see you tonight at Harry and Ginny's. Don't worry about Regan, he'll be fine with us. Just concentrate on you this afternoon, okay?"

Hermione nodded and returned Bill's smile.

"Right, Regan, let's go! Hold on tight!" Bill felt his nephew grip his hand even harder as they prepared to disapparate. Regan waved at his mother with his free hand.

"Bye, Mummy!"

Hermione waved back, "Bye, Regan."

And then the two Weasley boys were gone.

Hermione stared at the just-vacated spot in front of her for a few moments before she downed the last of her tea and banished her mug to the kitchen. She made her way upstairs to her bedroom to make herself look presentable enough for her family that night, then apparated over to Harry and Ginny's house. She needed to have a long overdue talk with Harry …


	4. Chapter Four: A Story Revisited

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter Four - A Story Revisited  
**

Hermione arrived at the front gate of the Potter household with a "POP!" Lifting the latch, she pushed the gate open and entered the yard, closing the gate behind her. She wandered up the pebble path to the house, admiring the beautiful gardens around her.

Ginny and Harry had spent many hours in the garden, planting all their favourite flowers and shrubs; rows of pink and white lilies lined the small white picket fence in abundance, while pink, yellow, orange and red gardenias spread their colour around the stairs leading up to the front door, continuing along the front of the porch. A few metres to the left of the path was a round stone water fountain, spraying a cool mist over the collection of rose bushes that surrounded it. Various other plants took residence in the garden, making it one of the most beautiful and well-looked after gardens in the street, and with the amount of time and care the married couple put into it, it was hard finding a single gnome anywhere.

Hermione walked up the few stairs onto the porch, passing under an ornate wooden sign that read, 'Godric's Hollow.' She smiled to herself, as always, glad that Harry had found happiness on the land of his parents. Harry had spent months secretly building the house on the site where his parents house had once stood, surprising Ginny with a home and a marriage proposal on the evening of her twenty-fourth birthday.

Upon reaching the door, Hermione knocked gently before pushing it open.

"Harry? Ginny? Are you home?" she called, closing the door behind her and walking down the hall.

"Just in the study, Hermione," Harry called in return.

Walking a little further down the hall, Hermione stopped at the second door to her right. She entered to find Harry submerged in a mountain of parchment.

"Is this a bad time?"

Harry looked up and smiled. "No! Of course not." He pushed a few rolls of parchment aside and got to his feet, pulling Hermione into a hug. "How are you, Hermione?

"I'm well, thank you. How are you?" Hermione asked, smiling at her best friend.

"I'm fine, thanks. Are you sure you're okay?" A worried expression had settled on Harry's face, and Hermione didn't like it one bit.

"Bill's spoken to you, hasn't he?"

"Hermione, he's just worried about you. We all are. You can't keep living like this. Believe me when I say, living in the past, in hope, in a dream … it's not healthy. It'll slowly kill you inside." Harry sighed, "You need to talk to someone, so you can move on."

"That's why I came to you," Hermione said, sitting down on one of the chairs opposite Harry's desk. She closed her eyes and released a deep breath. "Harry, I want you to tell me everything from that day. From the second you both left me to the second I saw you return without him. I want to know it all."

Harry stood momentarily frozen in his spot.

"Harry, please?" she begged.

"A-are you sure?" asked Harry after snapping back to the present.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. If I know absolutely everything that I possibly can about that day, maybe it'll help me move on. I don't know if it'll work, Harry, but I have to at least try. For Regan's sake."

Harry nodded and sat down at his desk. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"Where do you want me to start?"

Hermione thought for a moment before saying, "From when I said goodbye to you. The last – the last time I saw him."

Taking a deep breath, Harry began his story.

"As you know, Ron and I were to apparate from your house to the Ministry, to prepare for our arrival in Bulgaria …"

***

**_Four years previous_**

_***  
_

Ron walked down the stairs from his and Hermione's bedroom, backpack in one hand and a gift in the other.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, standing in the living room with Ginny and a heavily pregnant Hermione.

"Almost," Ron replied upon reaching the bottom of the stairs. "How about I meet you at the Ministry? I just want to say goodbye to Hermione."

Harry nodded and took Ginny's hand. "Okay. Take care, Hermione," he said, giving Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you in a few days."

Smiling, Hermione replied, "Goodbye, Harry. Be careful."

"Always," Harry laughed, before he and Ginny disapparated.

Hermione turned to face Ron, who was still standing at the base of the stairs just looking at her. He walked over, dropping his backpack and the gift on a nearby chair, and enveloped Hermione in a tight embrace.

"Please be careful, Ron," Hermione begged. "Don't go doing anything stupidly heroic."

Ron laughed. "Stupidly heroic?"

"Don't laugh, Ron. I know what you and Harry are like."

"Don't worry, Hermione. Harry and I are just there to do our task, then we're coming home. Nothing will happen."

He leaned down to gently kiss her.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Ron."

Ron smiled and kissed her again, before remembering something.

"I've got you a present!" He ran back to the chair that he'd dropped the gift on and handed it to Hermione. "It's just a little something to keep you company, and to let you know that I'll be thinking of you and the baby the whole time I'm gone." He slipped one arm around Hermione's waist and rested his other hand on her bulging stomach. "Go on, open it."

Hermione smiled at him and began to carefully undo the spellotape. She pulled the paper back to reveal a soft, furry, chocolate brown teddy bear.

"Oh, Ron! It's gorgeous!"

"I thought we could give it to the baby as its first teddy bear. But meanwhile, he's to keep you company."

Kissing Ron lightly and hugging him, Hermione said, "Thank you, Ron. It was very sweet of you. But you really should be going now. Harry's waiting for you."

Ron sighed. "Okay. Don't worry about us, Hermione. We'll be back before you know it!" He picked his backpack up off the chair and slung it over his shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered, and with one last quick kiss, he was gone.

He reappeared a few seconds later outside the Auror office in the Ministry of Magic. He found Harry and the rest of their group waiting to be de-briefed.

"You're cutting it a bit fine there, Weasley," Kingsley Shacklebolt said as Ron approached the group.

"Sorry. Was just saying goodbye to my wife," Ron apologised.

"Not to worry. Just try to make it here a bit earlier in future."

Ron nodded and took his place in the group next to Harry.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen," Shacklebolt began, clasping his hands together. "You are about to enter one of Bulgaria's most high-risk areas. You are to enter, complete your set task, then leave. Anyone found deviating from their task will suffer severe consequences once back here on base. Is that clear?"

A mumbled chorus of, "Yes, Sir," sounded from the group.

"Right then. Potter and Weasley's team, you will depart from room twenty-seven in ten minutes. My team will leave from room fifteen at the same time. Any questions?"

The group shook their heads.

"Aurors dismissed. Good luck."

The two groups separated and followed their leaders to their assigned departure rooms.

Room twenty-seven was a three metre square room, the size of a standard bedroom. The six Aurors under Harry and Ron's lead, plus the two men themselves, all crammed into the room, awaiting their departure. As they were to use a portkey as the mode of transport to their first check-in station, the eight Aurors had gathered around a small column, upon which sat an old, cracked Frisbee.

Basil, the Head Officer of the Department of Magical Transportation, entered the room and walked up to stand next to the column.

"Now, you all know the portkey process, so I won't keep you much longer," he began. "Once I have charmed the Frisbee, you will have one minute to place a finger on it before departure. Get ready, ladies and gentlemen, and good luck."

Basil drew his wand and tapped the Frisbee, muttering, "Portus!" He stepped away so that the group of eight could gather around; they each made sure they were touching the Frisbee, and before long the all-too familiar navel-pulling feeling swept over them and they found themselves in an unfamiliar hall.


	5. Chapter Five: Unexpected Acquaintances

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter Five - Unexpected Acquaintances  
**

The hall, to Harry and Ron, looked the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, though that was the only similarity. The stone walls were damp and dilapidated; mould and other fungi were growing from between the cracks and joins in the stone, and the lit torches barely remained attached to their rusted brackets. The ceiling was no better; the old crumbling stone had fallen away in places, allowing the light from outside to shine through.

After gazing warily at their surroundings, the group of aurors turned their attention to Ron and Harry to find out their next course of action. The best friends looked at one another, unsure about where to go from here, when a lone pair of footsteps broke the eerie silence. Turning around, they could just make out a dark figure walking towards them.

"Draw your wands," Ron muttered to the group as the figure drew closer, the sound of its footsteps echoing around the empty hall. Their unknown companion's appearance became clearer as the black-cloaked being walked under a beam of light shining from a crack in the roof; the cloak did little to hide the bulking mass of the figure underneath and a hood masking its face hid its identity from the group of eight.

The figure came to a halt no less than three metres in front of them.

"Velcome to Bulgaria, England associates," came a deep and steady voice from under the hood, "Ve have been vaiting."

"Who are you?" Harry questioned, his wand raised.

The figure raised his hands and pushed the hood back to reveal his face.

"Viktor?"

"Hello, Harry," Viktor Krum replied, nodding at him. "Ron," he added, doing the same.

Ron looked to Harry in confusion. He hadn't known that Krum was involved in the Bulgarian Auror division, let alone going to meet them on this assignment. The look Harry returned reflected that he hadn't known either.

"Viktor, how long have …?"

"Almost as long as you," the Bulgarian replied. "After vhat happened in your part of the vorld, dark stirrings began over here. I vasn't going to sit by and let it escalate into another Voldemort episode, so I decided to do something about it. Joining the Auror division seemed like the best option."

Harry and Ron nodded in understanding. Turning to their group, they noticed the looks of awe and surprise on their co-workers' faces.

"Team, this is Viktor Krum. He will be assisting us on our assignment," Harry said. Turning to Viktor, he continued, "Viktor, this is our team. Kingsley Shaklebolt's team should have arrived at the other destination by now. Do you know who's meeting them?"

Viktor nodded. "My partner, Ivana Volkovich. She has been in the force a lot longer than me and is one of the best in our division. They are in safe hands."

"So where do we go from here?" Ron asked, desperate to get the assignment done and get back home to his wife.

Viktor pulled two envelopes from a pocket in his robes, and handed one each to Harry and Ron.

"Here is the information on the status of the current situation. The dark movement is mainly stirring here in Plovdiv; the City of Plovdiv, vhich is vhere ve are now, and the Town of Asenovgrad, vhere Ivana is vith Shacklebolt's team. It appears that there are two members of the movement who are vying for the title of "Dark Lord," hence the two locations. If it gets out of hand, ve may end up vith a problem larger than Voldemort."

"What has been done up until now? We were given an overview of the situation back in London, but due to secrecy and information leaks, very little information has been shared between your division and ours," Harry explained.

Viktor indicated their envelopes. "Most of it is in there. Once you have read them, you must dispose of them immediately. Ve cannot risk the information falling into the wrong hands. I am going to give you fifteen minutes to read and discuss it, then I vill return and answer any questions before ve make our first move."

Nodding, Harry and Ron turned to their group and opened their envelopes. They read silently, committing as much of the information to memory as possible, before turning to each other.

"This is more serious than I thought," Harry said in a low whisper. "Do you think our team is up for it? I know they're a strong group, but they haven't faced anything like this before. Not on this scale, anyway."

Ron nodded in agreement. "I know, but we're here now and we need all the help we can get. You and I can't do this on our own. Voldemort was one thing, but this is completely different. There's two of them out there who are as strong, if not stronger, than Voldemort was. They might not have as much support and reign over the country as Voldemort did, but from the sounds of things, they're taking over rather fast. Not to mention we're in a completely foreign country. Fighting Voldemort on home soil gave us an advantage. Here, we know nothing."

With a sigh, Harry ran his fingers through his hair.

"Alright … we'll explain all we've read to the group and try to prepare them for what lies ahead. They know, in essence, how we did things with Voldemort, so we've just got to elaborate on that, I suppose."

"Do you want to start or shall I?" Ron asked with a grimace.

***

Half an hour later, Viktor had rejoined them and the group had made their way to Auror Headquarters in the centre of the City of Plovdiv. Like the London Headquarters, it was hidden underground away from muggle eyes. Upon entering the building, they were surprised to find the interior architecture almost exactly the same as their home headquarters, which somewhat eased their apprehension of the task looming before them.

Viktor introduced them to the head of the City of Plovdiv division, Aleksandrov Polski, before leading them to the office where they would report back to over the duration their assignment. Only one two pieces of furniture, a large wooden desk with a matching chair, occupied the room, leaving plenty of space for the eight aurors and their companion to fit comfortably inside.

"At the end of each task of your assignment, or at the end of each assigned shift, you are to return here and report to the auror on duty," Viktor explained to the group. "They vill then contact Harry, Ron and myself to update us on your progress vith the situation. If you are injured at any time during the assignment, you are to make your vay back here immediately, and, depending on the severity of your injuries, you vill either be treated and returned to vork, or you vill be sent home. If you have trouble making your way here, ask your team mates for assistance."

"On that note," Harry added, "At no time are you to be alone when out on the field. You will stick with your assigned partners at all times. If one of you is injured, the other will accompany you back. Is that clear?"

A mumbled, "Yes, sir," came from the group.

"Okay, so you all know your current tasks for today, so we shouldn't have any problems. Before we get started though, are there any questions?"

The six aurors shook their heads.

"Excellent. Please collect your packs from Ron before departing. Again, do not attempt any field work on your own. Stick with your partners, or you will find yourself off the assignment and reporting to Shacklebolt upon our return to base. Good luck."

With that, the aurors made their way to Ron, who stood by the desk with the task information and field work packs for each member of the team. After collecting all they needed, the pairs disapparated, leaving Ron, Harry and Viktor alone.

"Vell, I am going to check up on Ivana and see how things are vith their team, before the two of us set off on our task. I vill speak vith you a little later on," Viktor said to the two men.

"Good luck. Keep us posted," replied Ron, shaking hands with the Bulgarian.

"And good luck to you. I know you vill help us considerably vith this issue."

After shaking hands with Harry and nodding to both in farewell, Viktor disappeared with a POP!

A sigh echoed around the room.

"I guess this is it," Ron said, looking at Harry with uncertainty.

"I guess so," Harry replied, mirroring Ron's look.

Both stood in silence for a moment, staring at the other, before grasping each other in a fierce embrace.

Pulling away, Ron said, "Let's go get these bastards so we can go home."

Harry nodded, steeling his resolve, before both men disappeared, leaving nothing but an echo in the now empty room.


	6. Chapter Six: Planning Breakdown

**A Stranger in His Own Home**

**Chapter Six - Planning Breakdown  
**

The dark movement in the City of Plovdiv gathered in a dungeon underneath the ruins of a large fortress-like structure; something the aurors had only just recently found out after a large attack on a muggle dwelling. A small team of aurors had secretly followed two members of the dark movement, who apparently thought they had escaped their odious mission unnoticed, to this building, which had been under close surveillance ever since.

Although every movement within and around the building had been recorded, Harry and Ron had wanted to inspect it for themselves. They knew that many important observations had gone unnoticed by the Bulgarian aurors, due to the fact that the Bulgarian component had not experienced anything on this level before and were therefore stripping themselves of information that could assist them in their mission to bring down the culprits. Having defeated Voldemort only a mere four years previously, and seeing how the current dark movement had evolved from Voldemort's reign, the best friends knew exactly what to look out for.

Voldemort's defeat had found most of the Death Eaters spending the remainder of their lives either in Azkaban or the ward in St. Mungo's for those who had received the Dementors Kiss. Their punishment had depended on the severity of their crimes. Lucius Malfoy and a select few others, for instance, had been sentenced to death after brutally slaughtering the entire population of a small muggle school. Even now, four years on, the country was still trying to recover from such a heinous act. Hundreds of lives had been sacrificed, and thousands more destroyed; whole families had been taken, while others tried to rebuild their lives without their children, parents or friends, and in some cases, all three.

This event had hit an extremely raw nerve inside Harry. His will to crush Voldemort once and for all was driven to such a point that it had only been a matter of days before the final battle had ensued and the dark movement was defeated.

The handful of Death Eaters who had managed to evade capture had fled, the majority escaping to Bulgaria, their homeland. It did not take long for the two with the most knowledge of Voldemort's power to take over; both had been in Voldemort's tightest inner circle and were eager to continue his work. The problem was, both wanted to be the most admired, the most dangerous, the most powerful. One could not do that with the threat of the other looming overhead, and so they had split and taken over separate parts of Plovdiv; one the City of Plovdiv, the other the Town of Asenovgrad. Ever since, both had been gradually weaving their paths of destruction through Plovdiv, sacrificing muggles and destroying whole settlements just to be the one on top.

The Bulgarian auror department considered themselves lucky that the situation had been discovered early, before the devastation escalated into Voldemort-sized proportions. Harry and Ron, however, were still worried. Both "Dark Lords" had immense knowledge of Voldemort's proceedings and had already gathered quite a number of supporters. This task was going to be much larger than what they had experienced back in London.

Hidden under invisibility cloaks and crouched behind bushes surrounding the ruins, Harry and Ron observed the location in silence. Ron grimaced as he shifted slightly to relieve some pressure off his legs; sharp pins and needles suddenly shot up them and he let out a small hiss.

Harry quickly looked to his right where he knew Ron was located.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Ron replied, finding a comfortable position. "Just been crouched here too long."

Harry nodded, forgetting Ron couldn't see him, and then said, "We've only got another six hours. Then we can head back and start forming our plan of attack. We've already discovered a few more things that the Bulgarian's missed, so that shouldn't be problem."

"It's lucky we're over here … they'd be stuffed without us. If there's not a hot meal waiting for us when we get back, I'm telling you now, there'll be hell to pay."

As if to emphasise his statement, a deep, rumbling growl came from Ron's stomach.

Harry chuckled softly before returning to the task at hand.

Around seven hours later, and after digesting a huge meal of Kebapcheta and fried potatoes, the two men were seated around the desk in their office at Bulgaria Headquarters, joined by Viktor Krum and his partner, Ivana Volkovich.

Ivana's arrival into the office had Harry and Ron shamefully in awe. The tall, slender, yet well built woman changed the atmosphere of every room she entered. The deep chocolate of her eyes was so piercing and observant that it was obvious she was not someone to mess with. However, putting those imposing factors aside, Ivana was considered to be one of the most attractive women in all of Bulgaria. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun, a few wisps of a fringe resting gently above her eyes, giving her a look of importance and independence, but also casting a soft shadow over her prominent facial features. High, perfectly sculpted cheek bones and a soft, lusciously plump smile completed the vision of authority and stunning beauty.

She shook hands with both Harry and Ron before placing a gentle kiss on Viktor's cheek and seating herself beside him. The slight hint of a blush crept onto Viktor's cheek but soon disappeared as he began to speak.

"Ivana, Harry and Ron have observed the ruins for the past fifty-nine hours and have information that ve missed during our own observations. They are confident that ve now have enough to form a plan of attack," Viktor informed his partner.

Harry noticed that Viktor was gazing at Ivana with more than just professional partnership in his eyes, but pushed that to the back of his mind. He knew that Hermione would be interested to hear about it once he and Ron got home, but for now he had to focus on the task ahead.

"How is everything on your side, Ivana?" Ron asked, giving Harry a strange look.

Ivana smiled and said, "All is going excellently in Asenovovgrad. Kingsley Shacklebolt and his team have been very successful in their tasks so far. They still have a great deal of vork to do, however they have started vorking on small plans for different aspects of their attack and are almost ready to begin putting them together to form their overall plan. I vould say that they are at a similar stage to you."

"That's brilliant," Harry replied, "That means we should all be getting out of here soon."

Viktor nodded. "That vill be great for all of us. I am sure Hermione and Ginny are missing you very much."

Harry and Ron silently nodded, taking a short moment to think about their family back home. Ron couldn't wait to return to Hermione and welcome their child into the world. It was so close now; he desperately hoped she didn't go into labour while he was on this assignment.

"How are we going to go about this?" Ron asked, breaking the silence. He looked at the other occupants of the room, receiving a small smile from Harry and quickly returning it before concentrating on the information in front of them.

Viktor spread their findings out in front of them, along with a floor plan of the ruins and the dungeon underneath.

"First, we'll need to make sure we have as many of them in there as possible. We can't risk leaving too many free to sneak up behind us, or even run away as these ones did from London. We have to quash this movement as thoroughly as we can so that our efforts aren't wasted," explained Harry. "We also need to make sure they don't have an easy escape, but that we can get out of there quickly if needed."

He spread the floor plans out a little more and scanned them closely, tracing different paths with his finger.

"They gather mainly in this chamber here," he said, pointing to the spot on the parchment for his companions to see, "and use these entrances when entering and exiting the ruins. We can enter from either here or here without being detected in a hurry, then silently make our way down this tunnel here,"

Ron, Viktor and Ivana nodded in agreement. Ron reached out and added, "That hall off to the side there gives us a quick escape route in case we need it,"

"Yes, and entering through here leaves them trapped. If we came from the other direction, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"Vhat about that entrance there?" asked Viktor, indicating the spot on the floor plans. "If they come from there vile ve are in the tunnel, ve are in trouble."

Pursing his lips, Harry stared at the plans for a moment.

"We … what we need is bait. We have to send someone in there first, to be "captured" and then we make our move. Once they've got a hostage, they'll all be called to the main chamber. We'll then make our move and attack."

"What if they harm the person we use as bait before we get there?" Ron asked.

"We've got to execute this at the right time. There are no 'what ifs.' We don't have room for error in this situation. As it is, we'll only have a small margin of time to put this plan into action."

"Vhat do you mean?" asked Viktor, a puzzled expression on his face.

Harry shifted a few sheets of parchment on the desk before finding the one he was looking for and handed it to Viktor.

"These are the times we have seen them leave and enter the ruins over the last three days. A group of three always leaves at eight o'clock in the morning, returning shortly after at eight-fifteen. A larger group of five who leave at five-thirty promptly return at eight-forty. No outside movement is then seen until ten o'clock. It is only departures after that time, so between eight-forty and ten o'clock, we must assume that most, if not all, of the members are inside."

"So that's the time we have to execute the plan?"

Harry nodded to answer Ron. "If we don't do it then, we don't stand a chance."

Ivana shifted in her seat and looked towards the two men.

"So this person you vill use as bait …"

Harry closed his eyes and gently rubbed his temples. "I really don't want to put someone in that position, but it needs to be done. I just don't know who it will be," he said. "I would do it myself, but I want to make sure the rest of the plan goes how it should. I'd curse myself if I was in there playing helpless victim while everyone else was held at wand point in the tunnel by a bunch of slimy murderous gits."

Ron could tell that his best friend was distressed and sick of the whole situation, as was he, but there really was nothing else they could do. The sooner they put this plan into action, the sooner they could go home. That's all there was to it.

He sat a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"I'll do it. I'll go in as bait and you can lead the rest of the team in after."

"No you bloody well won't!" Harry cried, rising suddenly from his chair. "What the hell do you think Hermione would do to me if she found out I offered you up as a diversion? She'd get me worse than any '_dark lord'_ ever could."

Ron got to his feet too and faced Harry. "Look, mate, that's all it'll be; a _diversion_. I'll go in, they'll think they've got the better of us, then BAM! In you come and we'll crush the bastards."

"No! Ron, I won't let you do it! I … I just won't." Harry slumped back down into his chair and let his head fall into his palms. "I need you beside me, Ron. I can't do this without you."

Ron felt his heart constrict as Harry's words reached his ears. Both knew how much they meant to each other, how much they relied on each other, but never felt the need to express it in words. Harry doing so was practically a plea; he was begging Ron not to leave him.

"Harry, I'd never leave you to deal with this on your own. I will always stand and fight with you, right by your side," he said fiercely, gripping Harry's shoulder firmly, "But who else do you know who will be able to handle that situation? No one on our team, that's for sure."

He knelt down in front of Harry and forced him to look up from his hands.

"I've been there, Harry, I can do it. You know I'm the only option. I'll handle the bait, you handle the rescue. We're partners, Harry, that's how we always do it. We will succeed, I know it. All my faith is with you; it always has been."

"I don't know how I'd survive if something happened to you," Harry choked, un-shed tears starting to sting his eyes.

Viktor rose from his chair and offered his hand to help Ivana up also.

"Ve have a few things to attend to, so ve shall leave you alone for a bit," said Viktor, leading Ivana towards the door. "Ve vill come back later to help finalise the plan."

Ron nodded at them in thanks and turned his attention back to Harry.

"If something happened to you before I could get there, I'd … I wouldn't be able to go on, Ron. You're my best mate, and you're practically my brother. Hell, you are my brother and have been for a long time. That's what makes things so much harder … if something happens to you, I won't just have to deal with my own guilt; I'll have your whole damn family plus Hermione to deal with too. They'd treat me just like one of them, and wouldn't put the blame on me, but deep down inside I'd always be on the outside."

"Harry, that's not true and you know it! You're just as much a Weasley as I am,"

"That's the thing! I'm not. When I'm with you and Ginny, and even the twins, yeah, I feel like I could be, but Hermione's more a Weasley than I am. She's actually part of the family; she has your surname, she's carrying a Weasley grandchild …"

Ron sighed with frustration and began to pace around the desk.

"Harry, what do I have to say to get it into your thick head? _You are part of the family!_ You always have been, and if that's not enough for you, you'll be married into it soon if Ginny has any say in the matter."

"Ron, I -"

"Look, I don't want to hear another word about it, okay?" Ron said sternly, staring directly into Harry's eyes.

Harry fell to pieces right there. Sobs wracked his exhausted body and all the remaining strength he had in him dissipated.

Ron rushed over and wrapped his arm protectively around Harry's shoulders.

"Harry -"

"Ron, I can't lose you. I won't let you do it. Please don't do it … I know it won't end well for you, I can feel it," he sobbed, "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You were the first good thing to ever come into my life. You showed me what life is, that there's more to it than sleeping in a cupboard and playing slave to the Dursleys. Ron, I can't lose you!"

This was the first time Ron had ever seen Harry lose himself like this. Sure, he'd seen Harry fall apart a few rare times over the climax of the last war, but it had been nothing like this. Ron had no idea what to do, what to say, how to react … he just sat there with his arm around Harry's shoulders, letting his best friend fall to pieces beside him.

Harry's words had touched Ron so much that he _couldn't_ speak, even if he had known what to say. He'd known that Harry's childhood up until Hogwarts had been stripped from him by the Dursleys, and his adolescence by Voldemort, but coming from a large family and not knowing anything but love, it was hard for Ron to even try to understand what Harry was feeling, let alone imagine what life growing up without his family would be like. If he lost Harry, there was no way his family would just leave him alone to deal with it and he knew it would be exactly the same if something happened to him. His family would treat Harry like one of their own; however, Harry refused to see that, no matter how many times they all said it. He was afraid of being hurt; of finally belonging somewhere, of knowing happiness and love, and then losing it all, just like he lost his own family …

That was something Ron could somewhat understand, and he wished he didn't. The horrible thought of losing his family and having nothing … it was the worst feeling in the world.

"Harry," Ron said after a while, "You're not going to lose me. And I'm not going to lose you, okay?"

Harry's sobs had calmed immensely, although he kept his head in his hands.

"I can't do this anymore, Ron. I'm not cut out for it. I'm tired and I just want to go home."

"That's what we're going to do. We're going to go in, do this, and then go home. Then you and I are going to quit this job and find new ones a little less dangerous and time-consuming. We've done enough fighting, Harry. _You _have done enough fighting. I mean, you've spent your whole life battling evil! It's time you got to do something else with your life," explained Ron lightly in an effort to raise Harry's spirits. "We can spend all day playing Quidditch! You can marry my sister, have some children and we'll spend our Sundays at The Burrow watching our children play with their other cousins … you deserve a peaceful life, not one chasing after these bloody power-driven gits."

"You're still not going in as bait," Harry replied, straightening up in his chair. He rubbed his hands roughly over his face in an attempt to freshen himself up a little. "We'll send someone else. We'll send anyone … I'm just not sending you."

"That's fine. Honestly, what ever you want, Harry."

Rising from his chair and walking around the desk, Harry quietly said, "I'm sorry for … for losing it like that."

"Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't take this anymore, Ron, all this stress and danger. You're right … when we get back, I'm giving Shacklebolt my resignation."

"We'll do it together. This is our last assignment, mate; in a few days we'll be done with this life and we can start afresh."

With that thought it mind, Harry's spirits lifted and he gave Ron a small smile of gratitude.

"So what are we going to do now? Who will we send?" Ron asked.

Harry absentmindedly shifted the parchment around the desk and said, "Let's get the team back here and see if any of them will volunteer. Otherwise we'll have to decide for them."

"Shall I go get Viktor and Ivana, and then summon the rest back here? Are you going to be okay to do this right now?"

"Yes, I'm all right. The sooner we get this done the better," replied Harry wearily.

Ron hesitated slightly, casting a worried glance at Harry, before nodding and heading towards the door.

"I'll be back soon."

***

"Right, since none of you have volunteered, we'll volunteer one of you ourselves," Ron explained, staring intently at each member of their group. Their group of six aurors had been joined by another twelve from Viktor's department, in order for them to be able to pull their plan off successfully.

Turning his gaze beside him to Harry and Viktor, he silently questioned them with his eyes. The trio stepped back from the group a little and huddled together to quickly discuss the situation.

"Send one of my men," Viktor whispered, "They are more familiar vith the area and the problem at hand than your team are. That leaves you free to instruct your entire team in the attack vithout vorrying about their safety."

"We'll still worry about the safety of your men though," Harry replied. "I'd hate to think something happened to one of your team because we stuffed up."

Ron sighed, "Harry, Viktor's right. His team are more knowledgeable on the situation and we stand a better chance of succeeding if one of them goes in first. I know you're worried, but we won't have any problems if we go in at the right time."

"No offence to your team, but my men are a lot stronger in build. Men here begin training at a very young age and continue it all their lives. Ve vill be better off if ve send one of my men in first."

Harry looked at Viktor and nodded. "You're right. Our team are nothing in physical strength compared to yours. So who do you feel the most comfortable about sending?"

Viktor scanned the group before them and pondered his decision for a moment.

"Stoev. He has been heavily involved vith this from the beginning and also assisted vith your defeat of Voldemort. He is the best on our team and vill be able to handle anything they might try on him."

"Stoev it is. Viktor, would you like to take it from here?" asked Ron.

Viktor nodded and the three returned to their positions in front of the group.

"Stoev," Viktor announced. "Ve have chosen you to enter the ruins first. Once this meeting is through, you vill remain here for debriefing of your task."

The man named Stoev remained silent, nodding his head once to confirm that he understood his orders.

"Are there any questions about the task ahead of us?" he continued, addressing the group in full. "No? Excellent, you are all dismissed. Go to your chambers and get some rest; you vill be needing it for tomorrow. Ve shall meet you back here at zero six hundred hours."

The group of seventeen began to murmur amongst themselves as they all exited the room. Harry, Ron and Viktor watched them all leave, most still unaware of how immense the task that lay ahead was. Stoev moved towards them, awaiting the details of his fate.

"Stoev, the task we are sending you on is the most important component of the execution of our plan," Harry began, "Just before the last group return at eight-forty tomorrow morning, you will enter the ruins as though you are observing the goings-on inside in order to report back to Headquarters. You will enter through the entrance they most use and will remain in the main passage they pass through, so that when the group do return, they find you and 'capture' you. Is that clear so far?"

"Yes, sir," Stoev replied.

"Once you have been 'captured,' if all goes to plan, you should be taken to the main chamber and all members of the movement will be called to meet down there. We will fit you with an invisible string-less Extendable Ear before we send you in, that way we will know all that happens from the moment you enter the ruins. We will hear when you are in the chamber, giving us our cue. We will not enter straight away, however we will not leave it long enough for them to try anything too harmful on you. Once we are certain that most of the members are down there with you, we will then enter. If you are feeling that something may happen before we get there, or if things aren't going the way we planned, give us a sign through the extendable ear; whisper to us, say something in code to us, anything inconspicuous that will alert us of the problem without the movement catching on."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"Excellent," Harry replied, "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, sir, what if some of the members are sent out to search the area for more of us?"

"Good question. We have that covered, however it is highly likely that none will be sent out without them all having been summoned to the main chamber first. Once they are all gathered there, they will receive their orders. If that does not happen, we will be prepared and waiting outside. As soon as they appear exiting the ruins, we will attack from our hidden positions. Anything else?" asked Harry.

Shaking his head, Stoev replied, "No, sir."

"Okay, you are dismissed. Go get some sleep."

Stoev exited the office, leaving the three senior aurors alone once more. They stood in silence for a few minutes, contemplating the events of the past few days and the one that was fast approaching. In a few short hours they would attack, risking their safety and their lives for the protection of the muggle and wizarding worlds for the second time in five years. They needed to succeed this time; if they didn't, Harry knew it would only be a matter of time before he was right back where he was now. Whether it be another five, ten, or twenty years from now, all his dreams of a peaceful life would be abandoned once more.

"I guess there's nothing else to be done until morning," Ron said, breaking the silence, "So we may as well try to get some sleep too."

"Yes, ve vill need our vits about us ven ve begin tomorrow," Viktor agreed. "You both are invited to stay in my chambers tonight, if you vish. The beds are more comfortable there."

"Will there be enough room for the three of us?" asked Harry.

"I vill be staying vith Ivana tonight as ve have a few things to discuss before tomorrow." A blush began to once again creep across Viktor's face. "The room is all ready for you. I shall see you in a few hours."

"Thank you, Viktor," Ron said with genuine sincerity. His days of holding a petty grudge against the man who had stolen his wife's first kiss had vanished over the duration of this assignment.

Viktor lead Harry and Ron to his chambers a few floors below their office. The three men walked in silence, shaking hands upon reaching the room before Viktor bade them goodnight.

Harry and Ron quickly readied themselves for bed and climbed under their covers.

"G'night, Harry," Ron mumbled.

"'Night, Ron," Harry replied, casting all thoughts of the following day aside by thinking of Ginny and the life that lay ahead of them as he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
